


True Colours

by laneofpennies, TheLovelyLadyAuthor



Category: Who Killed Markiplier? (Web Series)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Colors, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, M/M, Past Abuse, Past Domestic Violence, Poison, Poisoning, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Post-War, Pre-Who Killed Markiplier?, Protective Siblings, Romance, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-06-26 10:52:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19766689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laneofpennies/pseuds/laneofpennies, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLovelyLadyAuthor/pseuds/TheLovelyLadyAuthor
Summary: William and Damien have always been best friends. But, when William goes off to war before Damien turns eighteen - in a world where you can only recognize your soulmate once you're an adult - they never knew they were destined for each other. Damien has always been busy whenever William comes home on leave, so, he never gets to see him, until he finally comes back as the Colonel and steals Celine from Mark. But, it's not romantic like everyone thinks, even Damien. Damien just assumes they're soulmates when he hears they're dating, and assumes he lost his chance with a man he's always cared for. Then, he sees William for the first time since he was sixteen, and the world lights up in colour.





	1. Reunited

It was fall.

William had left the army and retired, having been sent home after an injury. It wasn't long after that, that Damien's sister left her husband for William. Or so he thought.

This was the first time he'd had a break in a while and he'd arranged to go see his old friend. The first time they'd be seeing each other face to face since Damien was sixteen, instead of through letters and calls.

Celine opened the door with a soft smile.

"Hey, little brother." She jested playfully.

Damien broke into a smile when his sister answered the door, lifting his weight off the cane so he could hold it in one hand and bring his sister into a hug. He had some reservations when it came to running for mayor, one of which included the fact that he would barely be able to see his friends and family, especially with how distant Celine had grown recently.

Pulling back, he spoke with a playfully hurt gasp, “You still insist on labeling me as such, don’t you? Either way, it’s good to see you. Things have been so... chaotic, recently.”

He was trying very hard not to explicitly reference her breakup.

Celine smiled softly and pinched his cheek.

"No matter how old you get or how successful you become, you're always going to be my little brother. That's never going to change." She spoke with a soft laugh. "They're not really chaotic anymore... honestly it's much better. But we can talk about that later. You must come in and see William. He hasn't shut up about seeing you all day!"

Damien nodded, though of course he had his worries.

Truthfully, he hadn’t stopped thinking about William since he left for war. Though he managed to push all that aside the moment he overheard that he was now involved with his sister, and most likely the two were soulmates. He’d have to be a monster to break something like that up, especially after all she’d been through. So he simply put on a nice face and decided to be friendly. He came here to form a truce with himself- to see it with his own eyes and put his lovesick dreams to rest.

“Trust in knowing I’ve been just as excited. It’s been years now, hasn’t it? It’s good for at least the three of us to be together again.” Damien mused, looking far off in thought.

His sister nodded with a smile and too his arm, leading him inside and closing the door.

"William!" She called out. "Damien's here. Come say hello!"

"Damien!" William's voice boomed before he even entered the room. His voice had gotten even lower and more beautiful, and his accent was thicker than ever. "Old friend, it's been nearly twenty five years! How-"

William had rounded the corner and stopped dear in his tracks as he locked eyes with Damien.

The world around both of them flooded with colour.


	2. Beauty of Colour

Damien had been nervously glancing around the halls as he was lead into the house.

Now that he had gotten there, he‘d quickly realized that maybe this hadn’t been such a great idea. But, when he met eyes with Will again, for the first time since they were basically kids, the mayor just about felt his heart stop beating for a good second as he saw the world clearly for the first time.

His eyes widened as color bloomed all around him, and he was able to see all these beautiful sights, but, he didn’t look away from William.

To say he was shocked, would be an understatement.

“I- I- Will-“ He couldn’t speak correctly, suddenly dropping his cane.

William stared at Damien like a deer caught in headlights, but, his eyes didn't stray either as he saw every colour. They were locked onto Damien's eyes. No longer black orbs, but, now deep pools of chocolate.

Celine looked between the two of them and laughed softly with a genuine smile.

"Just as I thought."

Damien finally tore himself away from the other, to look quite baffled over at his amused sister. “B-But I thought- you and him-?“

He’s confused, to say the least, after all, he’d basically abandoned all hope of finding his soulmate, so, this was quite the surprise... and here was Celine, acting like it was obvious? Had he really been that transparent in his flirting efforts as a child? He thought he was being smooth, and now his thoughts are starting to scatter. _Help._

His older sister laughed, and patted his cheek.

"William and I aren't romantically involved. He was just housing me, so I could get away from Mark. I apologize for the deception, but, that's what we were planning on telling you today." She smiled softly, and Damien could see his sister's eyes glittering for the first time in a long time. "I always had a hunch you two were soulmates. Since we were young."

Damien looked back at William, a small laugh of disbelief leaving his lips. He noticed he’d dropped his cane, and muttered a curse under his breath, embarrassment running rampant as he quickly scooped it up again so he could keep staring. He peered at it for a second, even the solid blacks of its handle seeming more vibrant.

 _Where does he go from here? How does he deal? Was Will even happy about this?_ Damien himself was definitely happy. It was like his hopeless romantic teenage self was living a dream.

“We’ve known each other since we were kids...” He muttered, pretty much in total shock, similar to William, who still seemed frozen, staring at Damien. Then he shifted and took a step forward.

Then another, and another. Until he had crossed the room and gathered Damien into his arms in a tight hug, holding him as close as possible as he nuzzled his face into Damien's shoulder.

Damien gave a sharp gasp at the hug, the feeling not new, yet, somehow totally different than any hug he’d received before- this one felt special. He hugged back, squeezing the other tight and shutting his eyes.

A part of him never wanted to let go, thinking he’d wake up from the dream, and have to go back to being utterly alone.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t come to see you sooner-“

Damien shook his head, suddenly regretting all those missed opportunities and apologizing desperately, but, William shook his head as well against Damien's shoulder and didn't speak, just hugged him tighter and nuzzled closer into the embrace.  
He didn't want to think about the past.

He wanted the now. He wanted Damien.

It was only when Damien felt the slight shaking, and felt wetness on his shoulder, did he realize that William was crying.

Damien noticed the crying, reaching up to run his hand soothingly through Will’s hair, as he continued to hold him desperately close. He tilted his head to speak to Celine, in a quiet, hushed voice. “Thank you.”

Then, he turned to nuzzle into the side of the other’s head, letting him cry, and feeling his own tears starting to build up. _Soulmates. Oh gosh._

Celine smiled, and squeezed Damien's shoulder, before she left the room, allowing the two newly found soulmates to have their first moment together, and the two old friends to reunite.

William melted at the touch, and sighed softly before he pulled back and hastily wiped his eyes.

"S-sorry, Dames..." He laughed softly as he tried to dry his tears. "I got a bit emotional..."

Damien reached up to lay a gently hand on his shoulder after wiping his own face, looking up at him and shaking his head.

“No, no! Don’t be sorry, this is a lot to take in so suddenly. Dizzying, almost.” After a moment he cracked another bashful, borderline nervous smile, and added in a questioning tone. “But... the right side of dizzying, isn’t it? I’m uh- I’m glad it’s you, is all-“

William couldn't help himself. He could see the soft pink of Damien's lips, and suddenly... it was his favorite colour. Then, he held Damien's face in his hands, and his lips were against the other's in a soft kiss.

The mayor widened his eyes for a moment after he felt William pull him closer, having not anticipated the kiss, but, they fluttered closed almost on impact as he leaned into it. He lost all breath, and his entire stream of consciousness as their lips connected. It was too good to be true, but, it felt real as he kept his hand on Will’s shoulder, using it to bring himself up higher, and deepen the kiss.

Wrapping his arms around Damien's waist, William lifted him, making it easier on the shorter of the two. Besides, William just desperately wanted the other closer to him. As close as possible. He moved one hand up, and placed it on Damien's cheek as the kiss was deepened. It wasn't the first time William had kissed anyone, but, it was by far the best kiss he'd ever received. Damien’s blush only deepened at the lift, and he wrapped his arms around the other’s shoulders, cane once again abandoned.

After what felt like forever, he pulled away to get some air back into his system. He looked up at William with what only could be described as doe eyes, cheeks still pink. He couldn’t even bring himself to talk again, still trying to get his lungs back. He shook his head, still at a loss for almost everything. Though, in his mind, he was already sure that this was how things were always meant to be.

If only he’d seen that sooner.

William gazed into Damien's eyes quietly. He was at a loss. The man in front of him was more beautiful than anything he'd seen in his entire life. This is who he was destined to be with. The man he'd been writing letters to for 25 years.

"Damien... I..." He didn't know what to say. He lowered Damien back down and steadied him on his own feet.

The shorter of the two watched Will with a warm smile, keeping his arms around the other even if he was now steady on the ground again. He was shocked, sure, but, in the best way anyone could possibly be shocked.

“You don’t have to say anything, William. Let’s just- move out of the hallway. We can sit and talk about it. This could not have been a more perfect set of circumstances.” Damien found it in himself to break the silence, voice bubbly with joy, before adding with a shy laugh. “So long as I never have to leave your arms again.”

The Colonel blushed a soft pink that looked quite well on him, and nodded his head. He then proceeded to scoop Damien up into his arms, and carry him into the living room.  
Once he'd set Damien down on the couch, he curled up at his side, resting his head in Damien's lap, seeking comfort.

Instinctively, Damien reached down to play with William’s hair affectionately, somehow able to speak even with how flustered he’d gotten when picked up. He decided he’d talk first, since Will seemed speechless ever still.

“I- I must admit. I’d hoped it was you when we were younger, I just didn’t know how to tell you. Then when we got older, I put everything aside for work, and when I heard about you and Celine...” He shrugged, shaking his head, “But, I’m here now, and I’m glad I came.”

He closed his eyes and nodded slowly with a soft smile on his lips, comforted by the feeling of the mayor's hand in his hair.

"I..." William trailed off and sighed slightly. "I've been in love with you since before I left to serve. Maybe that's why it hurt so much when I could never see you."

“Then I feel rather foolish. I never told you of my own feelings because I assumed you would never return the sentiment.” Damien sighed, the smile dropping in guilt before he added a genuine and quiet. “But, I promise I won’t be leaving your side again. I loved you then, and this astonishing revelation has only increased my love for you tenfold.”

"It hurts to say, but, I likely would have refused... I've never been... I never wanted to admit I had interest in the same gender and I must admit it... it tore me apart for years." He tugged at his sleeve at his words.

“Oh,” Damien thought about that for a few moments, before adding in a forcefully optimistic tone. “Then, maybe this all worked out for the best, hm?”

Not to say Damien didn’t have similar struggles, he eventually just came to terms with it after a small amount of thinking. Though I suppose he hadn’t considered the other may have thought differently.

_Did he... did he still think differently...?_


	3. Happiness Never Lasts

William sat up and sighed softly, looking down at his hands.

He didn't know what to say to the other, so, he took to examining the room. The colour scheme was a bit off, as he couldn't see it before. He'd have to fix that when he got the chance. But, right now, it was a pleasant distraction from his thoughts.

Damien also seemed to be avoiding his own subconscious, taking a curious look around the room. He glanced down at his own suit, the white flower making him now want to replace it with a more vibrant color. Maybe blue?

All this thinking was mainly to avoid the creeping anxieties that maybe Will wasn’t as thrilled as he was currently letting on. But, the more logical part of his brain knew that was crazy. _Probably._

Taking a deep breath, Will turned and rested his forehead on Damien's shoulder, before lacing their fingers together.

"If you don't want me to be your soulmate that is fine. I know how it might affect your public image as mayor... so I won't be offended."

“No, that’s insane, Will,” Damien squeezed his hand gently, his voice edging more towards its authoritative tone he used at press events. “This is all I’ve wanted for quite some time now. It’s not like anyone should be so involved in my personal affairs, anyway... a-and if the public reacts negatively... then to hell with them!”

He still had at least one full term ahead of him, and he didn’t care for it, anyway, if it meant he could be with the person he’d been fawning over since childhood.

"You'd... you'd really risk your career... for me?" He flushed and gaped slightly before his eyes filled with love.

Within a second, he was leaning over Damien's lap and kissing him deeply, arms wrapped around his neck. Damien was about to tell him it would be silly not to. _This was fate._ The universe willed it to be so and they were happy- why would he give that up for some stupid office? His words were subsequently stolen away by the kiss, and he instinctively wound his arms around Will’s waist to pull him closer. _That settled it._ His career meant nothing compared to this.

William sighed happily as he pulled back to take a shaky breath. "You are... amazing. I... I could never find anyone as perfect..."

“I would have to show you a mirror then, because from my eyes all I can see is that you’re far more perfect than I, and far more perfect than anyone else I know.” Damien huffed, beaming again and barely letting up his hold on the other. He liked the closeness.

William turned pink. An adorable colour than Damien had never seen before in his life. He looked away shyly, sporting a bashful smile, while Damien seemed rapt by the picturesque scene for a moment, bringing a hand up to gently cup the other’s face to kiss him on the cheek.

“That color looks beautiful on you,” He spoke in barely a whisper.

"...r-really?" William chuckled softly and practically melted into the kiss, letting his eyes fall shut.

Damien nodded before adding with a quiet laugh. “I’m not just saying that because it’s the first time I’ve seen it. I- I don’t even know what it’s called, but, you look perfect with it. Adorable, really.”

"Well, since you like it so much, it shall now me the colour I wear most!"

The mayor blushed a little, breaking eye contact to stare the floor with a flustered, bright smile. “I-I’m surprised my opinion would matter so much to you.”

William kissed Damien on the nose. "Your opinion is the one that matters most to me in this world."

The remark only served to deepen the flustered hole Damien had managed to dig himself into. He did, however, manage to speak up so he could respond. “You’re flattering me, Will.”

"Good." The old soldier purred and started to cover Damien's neck and face in soft gentle kisses. "That is my intention."

Damien couldn’t help but let out a shy giggle, no matter how unfitting it was for the politician. He felt his own face start to heat up from the light feeling, and he couldn’t stop the quiet laughter. William's lips met Damien's and he pulled him close, deepening it, and Damien accepted the kiss with a slight upturn of the lips, leaning forward as he was pulled closer. He wanted to stay this way for the rest of his life.

There was soft footsteps, and then the sound of glasses being set down on the coffee table pulled the two of them out of their daze.

"I made tea." Celine's voice spoke softly.

Damien only pulled back when he heard the new voice and the sound of someone coming in, face burning as he looked down bashfully. “I- uh- ...th-thank you.”

She looked at them, and at William nearly in Damien's lap, and chuckled. "William is that seat comfortable?"

"Indeed it is!"

The embarrassed mayor quickly went to cover his face with his hands, but, muffled laughter could still be heard through it. He was mostly covering up what was probably some deep set color similar to Will’s face earlier. William beamed and hugged Damien tight.

"Celine, isn't he the cutest thing your ever seen? God, I've missed him, he's just so precious!"

Damien nuzzled into the hug when he realized what was happening, still blushing and trying to hide his face. He wasn’t... used to this. The man had put his own love life and even plain old friendships aside when he started working on his career... and with the issue of not believing he’d ever find his soulmate, he’d never even imagined this happening.

The twin sister chuckled and kissed both their cheeks, before walking out of the room and calling back over her shoulder. "Enjoy your tea. Oh, and use protection!"

Well, that only made things _worse_ on Damien’s behalf. He'd never recover. He was melting into a puddle of embarrassment and there was no hope that he’d ever stop blushing again. This fact made William laugh boisterously, a beautiful booming sound of happiness. He wrapped his arms around Damien and kissed the top of the other's head.

"I'm sure I have some protection around here somewhere. Want to help me look?" He winked playfully.

“Will!” The usually stoic mayor whined in a squeaky voice, burying his face in the other’s chest and squeezing him lightly in the hug. He couldn’t keep him like this forever, he had a reputation to uphold! _A city to run!_

Gigging, William moved off Damien's lap enough to slip his arms under the Mayor and pull him bridal style into his arms, cuddling him close. Damien gasped quietly, but soon snuggled closer into the embrace with a begrudging pout. Though that wasn’t before his share of flustered, frozen silence that made William chuckle softly and nuzzle into the crook of Damien's neck, his mustache tickling the sensitive skin.

Damien pretty much immediately broke into a squeaky giggle fit, squirming slightly in the Colonel’s hold. “W-Will! Stop it-!”

"Hm?" The older of the two males seemed confused, before he realized what was happening. He grinned mischievously before he trapped Damien in his arms and went back to kissing his neck, tickling him purposely with his mustache. Damien tried very hard not to dissolve into a puddle of laughter and embarrassment, but, of course that’s exactly what happened. He weakly tried pushing at the other, though he didn’t want to hurt him and was nowhere near strong enough.

Eventually, William's lips moved from the tickle attack on Damien's neck and fell onto the other's lips, and Damien’s eyes widened for a moment, before they fluttered shut again as he smiled loopily into the kiss. If he had been going to complain in the first place, all his thoughts had been swept away anyway.

Holding him closer, William pulled back and smiled softly at him. "I must admit, I'm the happiest I've been in a long time..."

Then he turned away to let out a harsh cough. William had a streak of his happiness being ruined.

Damien had been about to agree, since he hadn’t found much joy in anything since the other’s leave, though the cough cut him off, and he worriedly tilted his head, concerned for the other's wellbeing. “Oh, goodness, are you alright?”

He didn’t find the moment ruined, since he was too busy fussing over William, who nodded before proving himself wrong and devolving into a violent coughing fit, which he hid in the crook of his elbow. Damien’s concern only increased as he held the other carefully, not sure how to help and feeling immensely guilty about it. Finally he regretfully pushed himself up to stand, heading over to grab one of the teacups and bring it back to Will.

“Would this help?"

Slowly, William's coughing devolved into little shakes of his chest, and he nodded, reaching for the cup, revealing that the crook of his elbow, where he'd hidden his face, had droplets of blood on it.

Once he’d handed him the cup, Damien reached out to gently take his arm and stare at the spot in horror. That was most definitely not good. Probably really, really bad. He turned to the door to call uncertainly. “...Celine!”

After a moment, Celine walked in with a confused look. "Damien? What's wrong?"

William's hands trembled as he sipped his tea shakily, very clearly avoiding the other's gazes.

“It’s Will, he just started coughing up blood-!” Damien explained in a panicked tone, before turning back to his soulmate and kneeling down to look up at him. “Please, tell me you’re alright-“

He’d never seen what color blood was before.

_He didn’t enjoy it._

"I'm fine." William assured him with a tired smile. "Just coughed too hard. Don't worry."

"He's had a cough for a few weeks now." Celine spoke softly.

“No, y-you’re not fine. I may not have seen exactly what blood looked like before, but, I am sure that it usually signifies that someone is _not_ fine-“ Damien spoke, panic edging into his voice more and more before he turned to his sister and running a shaky hand through his own hair before standing up. “It’s been getting worse? We should go to the hospital in the city.“

"No!" William exclaimed and jumped to his feet. "No hospitals!"

Celine sighed, ignoring William's outburst as she spoke. "I think you're right, Damien. At least get him checked out. Very likely it could be some internal wounds from service that weren't noticed before."

Damien quickly tried to steady the other by reaching up to put his hands on his shoulders, or maybe help him sit back down. “Will, please, I don’t want you falling ill- or more ill than you already are. I don’t want to lose you when I’ve only just found you.”

"I'm fine, I'm..." William shook his head and trailed off as a confused expression crossed his face. "I'm... I'm..."

The teacup fell and shattered to the ground, and William followed it.


	4. Hospital Visitor

_“No, no, no-!”_

Damien tried in vain to catch the other, at least serving to cushion the blow as he too fell down. He leaned the other’s head in his lap, cupping his face.

“Will, Will! Stay with me, please-“ He looked up at Celine, fear shining in his dark eyes. “Wh-what do we do?”

"I'll call an ambulance." She spoke quickly before she rushed out of the room. William seemed suddenly warm, overheating, and clammy. He stirred and looked around in panic, gaining Damien's attention.

“Will! It’s me, Damien, we’re gonna get you help, okay? Here-“ He reached over to take off some of the layers the Colonel wore, not wanting him to get too hot. “You’re overheating like mad, let me get your jacket off-“

The other male simply nodded and shifted so his coat was able to be pulled off before he started coughing again, worse than before, pressing his face into the elbow of his white shirt, that was slightly clinging to his clammy body.

“You need to stay with me, alright?” Damien tried to speak calmly, laying his hand on Will’s chest and cringing at the way he was trembling. “You’re going to be fine. I’m right here.”

As a politician, he was usually quite good at pretending things were fine when they were actually the opposite, but now his emotions were getting in the way as he wiped at his face to hide tears.

"I-I'm okay..." William spoke softly and gripped Damien's hand as he pulled away from his sleeve. He gave him a soft tired smile with lips stained with red. His sleeve was drenched in blood.

The damn broke the moment the sight fully registered with him. Damien choked back a sob, before covering his mouth. He couldn’t cry now when Will was trying to be strong. So he tried to push it all aside as he nodded at him, barely squeezing his hand. William nudged forward and pressed his forehead to Damien's shoulder. He was quiet.

"The ambulance should be here I'm a few minutes." Celine rushed back in. "Is he okay?"

Damien blinked a few times as he listened to Celine, looking down at William and trying to check if he was breathing as he murmured a shaky reassurance to him. “They’re coming, alright love?”

In response, The Colonel made a soft sound of acknowledgment. His breathing was weak and almost nonexistent. Damien looked back at Celine and shook his head unsurely as he slowly ran his hand through Will’s hair, hoping it would help him stay grounded as the sudden silence overtook them. They just had to wait until the ambulance got there. A little longer.

It wasn't long after that, that the ambulance pulled in and Celine let the paramedics in, just as William went completely silent.

The Mayor didn’t want to leave Will’s side, though he relaxed his hold in case they needed to lift him somewhere. He looked down at Will the whole time, not bothering to glance upwards.

The paramedics got William into the ambulance, not questioning that Damien was sticking to the injured man like glue.

"Are you riding with him, Mr. Mayor?"

“Yes, of course,” Damien answered, stiffening slightly with the name as he followed. Right. He’s still the mayor. These people knew who he was. He had to be... careful.

They allowed him onto the ambulance. It seemed like a blur until they got there and William was in a room in bed, asleep. Celine had met Damien at the hospital and was standing beside Damien with her hand on his shoulder. The doctors had taken samples and ran tests, now just waiting for results.

Damien had stayed mostly silent, observing and holding in all his emotions, as he did best. Only when they were finally alone again did he let a little bit of that mask crack, biting down on his cheek to keep himself from falling apart. He was glad Celine was there since he probably would’ve burst by now had he been entirely surrounded by strangers.

_Strangers who would’ve turned against him in an instant if he did._

Celine hugged him and rubbed his back. "It'll be alright, Damien. I'm sure it will..."

Damien nodded as a response, taking a deep breath as he leaned heavily on the bed on which Will was laying. In all the tumble of emotion, he’d forgotten his cane back at the house. He barely even noticed until the pain started up again. Celine kept a hand on his arm as she stood beside his chair.

Then Mark walked in.

The only woman in the room immediately tensed up, and her grip on Damien's shoulder tightened. Damien instinctively stood up, taking a step in front of Celine as he clearly remembered what she’d told him about hiding out. _Okay. We’re doing this now._

“Mark,” He spoke, his voice laced with suspicion. “I didn’t expect to find you here. I didn’t expect you to know about our being here at all, frankly. My security keeps their lips tight on most occasions.”

"Anyone can be bought. Including your secretary. I bought Molly a long time ago." Mark sighed as he walked into the room. "So what happened? Karma caught up to him?"

“He was at war, Mark,” Damien grit his teeth, clenching his fist as the man got closer, “Forgive me for being rude, but... give me one good reason I shouldn’t have you escorted out of this room right here and right now.”

_Did he have the power to do that? Well, at least it’s a threat of some kind._

"You can't remove me. I'm on the hospital board. I practically own the place." He tilted his head at Damien. "Why do you care so much anyway? You have hardly spoken to him in 25 years, so don't get high and mighty with me, Damien."

“You’re one to talk,” Damien spoke back coldly, his first comment only slightly disheartening as he was still angry enough to think he had any sort of advantage here. “You have no right to be here at all.”

"I do, actually. William still is my friend and I am concerned for his wellbeing. I've been more of a friend to him than you have since he got back. Until recently." Mark huffed, annoyance and slight anger coming through in his tone. "That, and I've also come to talk to my wife."

Damien scowled, continuing to stand in front of his sister with a certain fire to his voice.

“She doesn’t have to talk to you. I may not know the details of your falling out, but if it meant she had to go into hiding, I’d have half a mind to knock your jaw out. Had I not been a man of civility, that is. God, Mark. What happened to you recently? We used to be so close!”

Mark growled at him and darkness clouded through his eyes.

"Nevermind what happened to me. We were close. Until evidently, you sided with the man that stole my wife from me!" He was shouting now, unstable.

“Celine,” Damien hissed under his breath. “-stay behind me. I don’t think he’s very stable.”

Then he stupidly walked up closer to Mark, trying to be a good brother and honestly not caring for his own wellbeing at the moment. “She was never yours to begin with, you egotistical maniac. Can you come down from your damn high horse for just a moment? We fell out because you shut yourself up in that mansion and started acting like the snob you’ve always been.”

"That's a damn lie! I'm not- I wasn't-" He gripped his hair and trembled, causing Celine to whimper in fear. "I'm not a maniac! I'm the only sane one! You can't see what I can! You can't hear them!"

_Oh okay... maybe he shouldn’t provoke him. That’s definitely not normal at all._

“Mark, look, you’re obviously going through some things, we can call the doctor-“ Damien’s tone of voice changed entirely as he put his hands up in mock surrender, another perk when it comes to politics. He now sounded sympathetic and worried, when in actuality he was more worried about Celine... and Will.

In response, Mark only shook his head. "N-no. No doctors. Can't... I... I'm sorry I..."

"Damien look at his arms..." Celine whispered softly in her brother's ear.

Mark's arms appeared to be bleeding, blood dripping out from under his sleeves and running down his arms, falling to the floor from his fingertips. "He said I have to come here. Said I had to... t-to... he stole Celine... stole my friends... I have to..."

Suddenly, Mark slammed his fist through the wall with a shout.

The action made the twins flinch, and Damien gave Celine a worried look, taking a step towards her and hissing under his breath again. “You need to be ready to run, okay? I don’t want you hurt. I’m going to try to talk to him.”

Then he turned back to the actor and clenched his fists, walking over but still at enough of a distance as he spoke compassionately.

“Mark, Will didn’t steal anything. I- I wanted to help, you just seemed so aloof these days. You aren’t... a bad person. You just have problems. I can get you help, old friend. You don’t have to keep going like this.”

Mark slowly looked at Damien, holding his arms close to his chest as the other approached.

"Y-you can't help... it won't let you. It's too dark... it's corrupting and twisting my mind and I c-can't do anything to stop it..." Mark looked up at Damien desperately. "P-please, I..."

“Hey, hey, don’t listen to that white noise. It simply... wants you to think that. You’re stronger than you think you are, Mark,” Damien mused, pulling literally all of this out of thin air because _what the frick is he fricking talking about? What had he missed since Mark stopped visiting?_

The Actor shook his head.

"No. No, I'm not. Not stronger than it is." He took a step back, seemingly a nervous wreck. "I- I need to get back to the house. It doesn't like it when I leave."

“Mark, please,” Damien cringed, the feelings of worry and sympathy suddenly very real. “Whatever this is, I want to help.”

He didn’t dare take another step forward, not wanting to scare him away further.

"You c-can't help... you'll only get h-hurt..."

He turned and ran out, and Damien watched him leave in shock, arms falling back to his side as he stared at the empty doorway. He can’t go after him. Celine and William needed him here. But he seemed so frightened of whatever that thing was.

What was happening to them all?


End file.
